With the NRL back on our screens, giving many of us our much-needed rugby league fix, Saints Heritage Society look at some of our former Saints who went on to make First Grade appearances Down Under and were allocated Heritage Numbers with their respective clubs.
This week we will all be looking forward to seeing the likes of James Graham [#212 St George Illwarra] back in action, together with our 2014 Grand Final winner, Sia Soliola, still doing a sterling job for the Canberra Raiders [#326]. Sia, of course, was signed by Saints from the Sydney Roosters in 2009, and like ‘Jammer’ plus the likes of Jamie Lyon and big Mal Meninga, who we signed from overseas, all remain true legends!
As Saints Heritage Society list below, Several Saints went over permanently in the 1960s and made their mark on the Australian game. Two of those players won championships on both continents: Dick Huddart [St Helens 1959 and St George 1966] and Len Killeen [St Helens 1966 and Balmain 1969].
Dick Huddart [second row]
#388 St George Dragons – 78 appearances, 16 tries [1964-1968]
Mervyn Hicks [second row]
#317 Canterbury Bankstown – 78 appearances, 16 tries, 1 goal [1965-196]
Len Killeen [wing]
#555 Balmain Tigers – 78 apps, 36 tries, 278 goals [1967-1971]
Tommy Bishop [scrum-half}
#50 Cronulla Sutherland – 60 appearances, 21 tries, 2 goals [1969-1973]
Cliff Watson [front-row]
#70 Cronulla Sutherland – 38 appearances, 9 tries [1971-1973]
Billy Benyon [centre]
#94 Cronulla Sutherland – 5 appearances, 1 try [1974]
Mark Lee [hooker/second row]
#231 Cronulla Sutherland – 4 appearances [1987]
Bernard Dwyer [hooker/second row]
#350 Manly Sea Eagles – 5 appearances [1989]
Gary Connolly [centre]
#588 Canterbury Bankstown – 15 appearances, 5 tries [1994]
Chris Joynt [second row]
#90 Newcastle Knights – 7 appearances, 1 try [1995]
Mark Edmondson [front/second row]
#1058 Sydney Roosters 2 appearances [2006]
James Graham [front-row]
#739 Canterbury Bulldogs – 135 appearances, 9 tries [2012-2017] / St George Illawarra Dragons – 47 appearances, 1 try [2018-current]
Joe Greenwood [second row]
#115 Gold Coast Titans – 23 appearances, 4 tries [2017]
*It should also be noted that Benyon, Lee, Dwyer and Joynt were temporary signings for their NRL clubs during the English closed season.
Everyone at St.Helens sends our best wishes to all our friends and associates in the NRL for a successful resumption of the competition.
From left to right: James Graham, Cliff Watson, Dick Huddart, Len Killeen, Mervyn Hicks.
